Kyler Tusay
September 30, 2016
The Jose Fernandez Effect: More than a Ballplayer
Jose Fernandez died on the morning of September 25, 2016, after a boating accident off of the shores of Miami. Now while this was an obvious shock to the world of baseball, the best pitcher that’s under 25 will leave a large void in the sport. His death is something that should expand further than just the average baseball or even the average sports fan. This expanding interest is because of how he lived his life on and off of the field, and because of the journey he took to just get to a ballfield in the US. The passion and joy that he lived with is something that many of us wish to replicate ourselves. That Sunday seeing videos of him showing pure jubilation after a walk off win was a sight because of thoughts that were had like “Only if I could find something that made me that excited.” What also made Jose special was the fact that he was a defect from Cuba. He was arrested once before making his successful escape to the US, similar to others wanting to leave their oppressive homelands for America. Jeff Passan (Yahoo Sports) and Dan Le Batard (Miami Herald) both wrote articles on Fernandez’s story, and what his life meant, and what we should take from it.
Jeff Passan’s article “Jose Fernandez: The American Dream” was written just hours after Fernandez’s passing, and it celebrated his successes as an immigrant that later became an American and a symbol of that dream. Passan makes reference to the debate that was happening that Monday night, and how immigration would likely be a topic - quickly followed by the brash and negative rhetoric. Without him defecting the way he did and becoming an immigrant, the world would have never known of the joyous, young, fireballer. He was so successful because he stayed true to what he was:
For all his talent, all his achievement, Fernandez never lost perspective on what allowed him to thrive. He loved freedom – love the ability to say what he believed, to think what he wanted, to live without restriction. When he became an American citizen in 2015, seven years after coming to the United States, he waved a small flag and talked about how thankful he was. When he and the Marlins played at Fort Bragg Fourth of July weekend, the moment consumed him. He’d never forget Cuba. But he was a proud American (Passan).
He came from an oppressive country to play the game he was born to play. He became one of the best young players in the game with a positive energy. He wasn’t originally one of us, but we accepted him and watched him grow into an American.
Dan Le Batard’s article is one that goes through all of the emotions experienced, from the sadness of Fernandez’s death to his youthful energy. When reading you can feel the emotion Le Batard is writing with because he is of Cuban descent – his parents defected. Le Batard wrote that “Fernandez made us care,” and how his joy “birthed” joy for others. “An uncommon joy has been extinguished,” he wrote. How can someone that we have “known” for such a small amount of time become that connected with us?
Sports allows us to make connections with these individuals, and we are along for the ride with them from the good to the bad. It brings us these people that otherwise we would not care about them besides the fact that they play for the team or the sport that we love. Tells us their story, and we can relate it to our own. Miami lost its homegrown start, not just because that was the only organization he played for, but because of how he energized the Cuban population there. That day in Miami was compared to the day in Kansas City when Derrick Thomas died. Days where sports go from seasonal events that take up a few hours of your day to something that makes you realize how engrained sports are in your life.
Works Cited
Le Batard, Dan. "The Death of This Player Is a Loss for Us All." Miami Herald. Miami Herald, 25 Sept. 2016. Web. 30 Sept. 2016.
Passan, Jeff. "Jose Fernandez: The American Dream." Yahoo Sports. Yahoo, 25 Sept. 2016. Web. 30 Sept. 2016.
